1870 HK-15, Pilgrim Jubilee Memorial Dollar

Coin Details

Auction Record

$431 MS64 02-03-2009 Goldberg Auctioneers

Description

Cataloged as HK-15, this 1870 so-called dollar honors Pilgrim Jubilee Memorial. The 1909 Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition in Seattle celebrated the development of the Pacific Northwest and Alaska, featuring Olmsted Brothers landscape design on the University of Washington campus. This bronze so-called dollar represents the standard commemorative medal composition of its era. Bronze pieces were often the primary production run, with silver reserved for presentation copies and white metal for budget editions. Miscellaneous national commemorative medals were produced by a wide range of manufacturers, from the U.S. Mint to local die-sinkers, covering subjects from presidential inaugurations to infrastructure milestones. So-called dollars — defined as privately issued medals approximately the size of a silver dollar — encompass one of the most diverse and historically rich collecting fields in American numismatics.

Rarity Notes

Strikings of HK-15 are scarce. Post-Civil War era medals were often distributed at events, with many entering circulation as pocket pieces rather than being preserved as collectibles.

Cross References

HK-15; PCGS #642044; NGC #850123